IBM's Lotus Software division is taking a bigger bite of Apple's Mac OS X. The company on Dec. 28 formally rolled out the latest version of its Lotus messaging software package, dubbed Notes 7.0.2, which will include e-mail, calendar management tools and instant messaging that is specifically designed for Mac OS X users.

Well, not being a big fan of Lotus Notes myself (use it at work 5 days a week), and agreeing with you that Outlook is much more refined product, I still think that it's a good move for IBM. With competition being so tough on Windows platform, they have to try and get into other markets. So, OSX seems to be a logical choice... Would be interesting to see what will be the acceptance rate

Actually, I said "Outlook and Access", but someone else pointed out that Access isn't supported on the Mac. Too bad, huh?

Maybe it's me, but the comparison is made when every employee in a Notes shop uses it primarily as an email client. Ask anyone outside of your IT department what Lotus is and I'll bet 99% of them respond "It's how I get my email". Of course, that answer may come after a few off color remarks about your mother and some vulgar adjectives, but that's what the everyday corporate user will probably say.